Recently, the use of metadata associated with taken video materials (such as video data) has been becoming popular in the field of the production of video works such as TV programs and video content. The effective use of such metadata requires the compatibility in metadata between a plurality of equipment units for use in the production of video works. For example, situations where the metadata generated by a video signal recording apparatus such as a video camera is used by a video signal reproduction apparatus such as editing equipment require the compatibility of the metadata to be shared therebetween.
Conventionally, however, the notation forms and semantics of the above-mentioned metadata lack integrity and therefore there is no compatibility at all between the notation forms and semantics even in the same uses of the metadata. In such a situation, the standardization of metadata notation forms has been pursued. As a result, the description of metadata in XML (extensible Markup Language) or the like that is high in universality has come to use, attempting the standardization. However, currently, this standardization attempt is not completely successful because there still remain variations in metadata notation format owing to the different concepts and purposes of standardization organizations.
On the other hand, because each user ultimately uses metadata for the purpose of satisfying the individual demands, the diversification of metadata formats is unavoidable to some extent. In other words, it would be unlikely for a certain single metadata format to be widely used in all video work production fields, now and in the future. Even if this would become a reality, the demands for addition and extension of metadata formats due to individual users' needs still remain.
In order to cope with highly various metadata formats, a conversion tool and a conversion table compatible with each metadata format must be developed. Even if such a conversion tool is of an independent, general-purpose one, the conversion table has no other choice but be unique to each metadata notation format, so that the conversion table such as above must be prepared every time the conversion between metadata formats takes place.
Consequently, the related-art technologies present a problem of the inability of each equipment unit for use in the production of video works to flexibly cope with various metadata notation formats. This problem makes it difficult to promptly and smoothly pass metadata between a plurality of these equipment units.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved video signal processing apparatus and processing method therefor that are capable of flexibly coping with various metadata notation formats.